


The teacup

by Papillonn



Series: Bean [5]
Category: British Actor RPF, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Toddler, daddy!Tom, infant, teacup - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-02-23 05:10:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2535383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Papillonn/pseuds/Papillonn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stella and mischief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The teacup

**Author's Note:**

> As a reminder, these oneshots are told from Tom's POV. Hope you enjoy. Leave me love!

“Stella, that was _bad_!”

Tom was working in his study when the shriek from his wife and the sound of glass crashing to the floor startled him out of the script he was reading. He winced at the sound of Stella wailing next, looking over his shoulder as if somehow he would be able to use x-ray vision to see through the walls and into to Will’s room. He’d been fussy all morning long, crying, and not responding well to Stella’s daily torture via kisses and little prods with her chubby fingers. When Tom had finally gotten him down for his nap, he was just about ready to climb in the crib with his son and have a nice rest.

He clinched his jaw, ready to ring the neck of his beautiful daughter if she so happened to wake her sleeping brother with her screaming. Since he became a parent, and Stella came crashing into the world, Tom and Elle both had been very observant of what her different cries meant. They knew what pain was, the knew what exhaustion was, and they new what brattiness was. The latter was very new, in fact, just a about as new as her six-month-old little brother. So her wailing didn’t concern him in the least. She wasn’t hurt; she was _miffed_.

‘My little drama queen,’ he thought, rising to his feet, and exiting his study.

He found his wife and daughter in the kitchen. Elle was scolding the little girl who was seated on the countertop with strict instructions to stay put as Elle cleaned the broken glass on the floor.

“What’s going on?” Tom demanded. Elle quickly looked to the doorway where her husband stood barefoot in jeans and a blue jumper.

“Don’t come in here… there is glass everywhere,” she sounded aggravated, not the mellow woman that he’d woken up to after a night of… _well_.

“What happened?”

“Your daughter decided that she wanted mummy’s attention, and the only way to get it was to throw my favorite teacup on the ground!”

It was the teacup he’d gotten her their first anniversary back together. It was something he picked up at a street sale and he thought she would love it to accompany the little charm bracelet he’d bought that had a matching silver teacup dangling from it. Elle _loved_ that cup. It had made it for quite a while. He knew Stella loved it, too. Though she wasn’t allowed to touch breakable things, she always looked at it with fascinated blue eyes.

A bark came from the hall.

“Dammit, not you Ace!” Elle whined, “Tom, keep him out of here before he gets hurt.

Tom quickly caught the dog’s collar before he could come into the kitchen. He knew that the pup was running to Stella’s rescue. The both of them were two peas in a pod, and whenever one of them got into any trouble, the other usually came rushing in to save the day. Tom had to have counsels with his daughter alongside her dog many times, both looking guilty as sin with their adorable faces.

Tom held Ace by the collar and glanced up at Stella. She was wearing a pair of grey knit pants and a navy blue jumper. Elle had taken her to the market earlier, and she had braided Stella’s hair into a crown on the top of her head. She looked innocent and sweet with little tears rolling down her face.

“Darling,” Tom rationed, as he tried to cross the gap without stepping on glass that she had swept and keeping Ace in check. “She’s _crying._ Stay, Ace!”

The dogs bottom hit the floor while Tom finally reached Stella.

“Tom!” Elle’s voice was shrill, and not the tone that he usually appreciated when she said his name, “don’t you _dare_ comfort her. She did a very naughty thing and needs to realize that.”

“Come on, Stell,” he murmured, pressing his lips against her temple, “we need to have a talk,”

_____________________________________________________________________

 

It was but fifteen minutes later that Tom kneeled in front of his little girl, who sat at the wooden tea table in her bedroom. Bright light cascaded through the pink curtains creating a warm glow. Stella’s tears had stopped as her father’s voice crooned soft scolding as he tried to understand why she had broken her mother’s teacup.

“…Darling, it isn’t good manners to do something like that… you or mummy or even Ace could have been hurt,”

A little hiccup came from the tiny girl, and she wiped at her face with small chubby hands, fighting a yawn that came out of nowhere after all of her hysteria. She’d truly exerted herself, and Tom could see that.

“I’m sorry, daddy,” she whispered, her voice tiny and rushed with a little sob imprinted on the words, “mummy is mad.”

“Yes,” he answered, taking Stella’s tiny hands within his own and brushing his thumbs along her knuckles. “You did a very unkind thing, Stella girl. I think you need to say you’re sorry to mummy…”

“Ok,”

“Let’s have a nap first, shall we? Then we can go downstairs and talk to mummy,”

 

____________________________________________________________________

A few minutes later and Tom closed the door to his daughter’s bedroom and let out a quiet sigh. Jesus. He loved his children endlessly, but he was exhausted today. Stella’s little stunt had worn her out emotionally. She wasn’t used to being in trouble because she was generally a very well behaved little girl. She was a free spirit, sure, but never out right malicious.

Tom walked back downstairs and was surprised when he found his wife in the kitchen, back to him, palms flat on the counter while little puffs of anguish escaped in her private moment.

“Elle?” he murmured gently, coming up behind her and cupping her shoulders, “oh darling… I will replace that cup. Don’t you worry, papillon,”

“I _yelled_ at her, Tom. I made her cry,”

Tom turned his wide so she was facing him, and he lifted her chin with two fingers so he could see her eyes. They were troubled and watery, a look that he didn’t appreciate for her or anyone he loved for that matter.

“Sweetheart, this is normal… you get tired and just forget for a moment… it’s _ok_.”

She huffed through her tears, comforted by the hands that had grasped her shoulder and kept her anchored in place.

“That’s easy for you to say! You _never_ raise your voice with her… or Will.”

“Will’s a baby,” Tom argued.

“Doesn’t matter,” she sounded defeated as she looked away.

“Elle, look at me darling…. You’re here with our children all day. Though I hate it, you spend more time with Will and Stella. You’re their mother… you’re entitled to have moments like these. They both love you unconditionally, though. You do realize that, don’t you?”

“I just want to be strong enough to do all of this,” she whispered. Tom sighed and pulled her into his arms, closing the small gap between them and she buried her face in his chest, inhaling his scent, and relaxing in his embrace.

“When I married you, I promised to be strong when you weren’t. I’m your husband, love. I am always going to be here for you when you’re too tired, or overwhelmed.” He pressed a reverent kiss on her forehead. “I’m not going to let you fall,”

They stayed like that for a long moment, both enjoying what it felt like to be one in the embrace. It was rare that they enjoyed time like this during daylight, and Tom knew that his wife needed special attention of her own right then.

It was a straggled cry from the baby monitor that broke up their private moment. Tom’s eyes closed for a moment and he groaned inwardly. He’d spoken too soon.

“I’ll go,” he murmured.

“Wait!” Elle hissed, with a grin and look of concentration after a moment, “do you hear that?”

Will’s fussing has gone down massively and mingled in with his tiny whimpers, was a little voice.

“Will, you have to be good for mummy. Shh. It’s ok, Will. Shh. It’s ok, Will.”

Elle giggled as Tom’s eyes went soft and his heart melted into a puddle as Stella addressed her tiny brother. She’d taken to Will much better than William, which had sounded more like ‘Iam’ coming from her.

“She’s singing him the alphabet!” Elle laughed quietly, her eyes still wide as she and Tom listened. “Do you hear him laughing… oh, god. This is so cute!”

Tom chuckled softly, glad that his wife was resilient and that the melancholy of the teacup had evaporated.

“Let’s do this together, then, yeah?” he proposed, holding out his hand.

Elle grinned at took his hand.

“Let’s.”


End file.
